2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for attachment of a data carrier to an individual for the purpose of providing immediate accessibility to information about his medical condition, personal identification, and other pertinent data. More particularly, the present invention pertains to attachment of a data carrier to the individual's anatomy by use of a tooth surface as the attachment medium.
2. Prior Art
The identification of individual human beings has been the focus of attention for hundreds of years. Many different processes and apparatus have been developed for the purpose of improving the accuracy, speed and availability of human identification. The prior art of this field can be substantially divided into two principal categories.
The first category involves those persons who are likely to prefer their identification to remain anonymous. This class includes criminals, persons in hiding, and others who, for various reasons, desire to remain anonymous. Human identification in these circumstances has primarily been the problem of government and private investigative agencies who attempt to obtain an identification based on a piece of clothing, a fingerprint, or some other after-effect of human action.
The second broad classification relating to human identification involves victims of wrongful conduct whose identity is unknown because of death, lack of identification, or numerous other conditions which can necessitate the positive identification of an individual. Such circumstances reach not only deceased or unconscious victims of criminal conduct, but also affect many thousands of persons who are victims of unintentional accidents, amnesia, medical conditions which result in unconsciousness, inability to communicate, or other similar incapacities. This need for human identification is particularly common among children, because of the absence of identification on their person. Therefore, a child may be involved in an accident in a remote neighborhood from the child's home wherein no one is aware of the child's identity.
Often, the need to make a positive identification is extremely urgent. Medical emergencies, for example, frequently require a knowledgeable consent upon the part of parents, guardian, or other individuals entitled to consent to medical treatment. Where an individual carries no identification (such as when jogging, involved in athletic events) or where identification was too cumbersome to be concerned with, identification is extremely difficult and frequently requires many man hours to identify a relative or appropriate party. Even where some identification is on a child's person, the frequent occurrence of split families results in extremely difficult name identification through a telephone book or other community information source.
Despite the long existence of this problem, no adequate solution has yet developed. Police offices and other investigative agencies have full-time staff personnel who become experts in human identification and in all aspects of the broad range of problems associated with re-tracing the prior history or steps of an anonymous individual to identify relatives or other persons of interest. Unfortunately, the success of such identifications leaves substantial room for improvement.
Statistics which are generally believed to reflect only a portion of the total actual missing persons are becoming increasingly alarming. Over 1.5 million children are reported missing for some duration of time in the United States each year. This does not account for those who do not have a report filed as to their missing status. Some 20,000 to 50,000 children disappear each year and their cases remain unsolved, some forever. At least 1,000 missing children cases whose facts suggest foul play remain unresolved each year. In addition, 8,000 children are murdered by strangers each year, with at least 2,000 victims remaining unidentified. The seriousness of these problems has now reached the U.S. Department of Justice where formal studies have commenced to more accurately define the problem areas. Other private and governmental agencies at various levels have likewise been considering the problems of human identification for many years.
Typical methods being applied in the identification process have essentially remained unchanged for many years. Fingerprint and dental analysis remain the primary tools of human identification by law enforcement personnel and medical examiners. In each instance, however, a record must exist for the fingerprint or dental study. Since this record is usually separated from the individual, the ability of human identification by starting with a lost or unconscious person is extremely difficult.
Furthermore, the dominant tool of fingerprinting primarily focuses on individuals having a criminal record, who fall in the classification of those not desiring human identification. As a consequence, the victim frequently does not have a fingerprint record to form the basis of a search. Also, fingerprints are subject to deterioration or damage where an accident involves fire or catastrophic injury. One hundred and thirty years of fingerprinting experience has failed to develop significant improvements, beyond computer search programs which are primarily directed toward those having a criminal history.
Other circumstances calling for human identification arise in emergencies such as accidents or serious illness where the victim is rendered incapacitated. These situations not only require name identification, but may also involve the need to identify a patient's blood type, allergic reactions, prior medical conditions, or other vital medical information. For example, diabetics, epileptics, narcoleptics, heart patients, dialysis patients, and numerous other categories of special health conditions may develop symptoms which are a direct result of the medical condition; however, would not be known as such without some form of medical alert tag. For example, it is estimated that there are approximately 48,000,000 people in the United States who have special medical conditions which require special treatment in emergencies. In addition to the added expense associated with running diagnostic tests to identify these conditions, their occurrence increase the risk of death where immediate treatment cannot be rendered until diagnostic testing is completed. As a consequence, the prior art discloses the use of cards, armbands, and other information sources which are designed to give immediate notice of these unique medical conditions. In each instance, however, the individual must make the effort to maintain this information in a pocket or on his person. Typically, such bracelets or cards are not convenient for wear during jogging, sports events, and numerous other types of activities. Accordingly, a substantial portion of the population of the United States is currently in need of some form of identification means which is retained on the individual, is not subject to destruction, loss, forgetfulness, or any of the numerous other problems which frustrate the realization of human identification, with its related subcategories of information regarding relatives, medical conditions, and other critical data.